Liquid droplet discharge apparatus, mask pattern, and liquid droplet discharge method

Abstract

The liquid droplet discharge apparatus (ink jet printer) includes a head having a nozzle row in which nozzles capable of discharging liquid droplets onto paper as a medium are aligned, and a carriage unit as a movement portion which moves the head relatively to the paper, the ink jet printer discharging the liquid droplets onto the paper through the nozzles by causing the head to perform main scanning a plurality of number of times by the carriage unit. In the ink jet printer, when a region from a nozzle at one end to a first nozzle located at a position away from the nozzle at the one end by a first predetermined distance is set to a first region, a region from a nozzle at the other end at an opposite side to the one end to a second nozzle located at a position away from the nozzle at the other end by a second predetermined distance is set to a second region, and a region between the first region and the second region is set to a third region on the nozzle row, a thinned-out portion is present on each of raster lines formed by nozzles in the third region.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A liquid droplet discharge apparatus comprising:
 a head having a nozzle row in which nozzles capable of discharging liquid droplets onto a medium are aligned; and 
 a movement portion which moves the head relatively to the medium, 
 wherein the liquid droplet discharge apparatus discharges the liquid droplets onto the medium through the nozzles by causing the head to perform main scanning a plurality of number of times by the movement portion, 
 a region from a nozzle at one end to a first nozzle located at a position away from the nozzle at the one end by a first predetermined distance is set to a first region, a region from a nozzle at the other end at an opposite side to the one end to a second nozzle located at a position away from the nozzle at the other end by a second predetermined distance is set to a second region, and a region between the first region and the second region is set to a third region on the nozzle row, 
 a thinned-out portion is present on each of raster lines formed by nozzles in the third region, 
 a first average nozzle usage rate of the nozzles is greater than a second average nozzle usage rate of the nozzles, 
 the first average nozzle usage rate is an average nozzle usage rate of a first mode to form a raster of a number of a first path, and 
 the second nozzle usage rate is an average nozzle usage rate of a second mode to form a raster in an number of a second path that is greater than the number of the first path. 
 
     
     
       2. The liquid droplet discharge apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the thinned-out portion is present on each of raster lines formed by nozzles in the first region and the second region. 
 
     
     
       3. The liquid droplet discharge apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein an average nozzle usage rate of the nozzles in the third region is equal to or higher than 70% and equal to or lower than 90%. 
 
     
     
       4. The liquid droplet discharge apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein nozzle usage rates of nozzles at both the ends of the nozzle row are equal to or lower than 1%. 
 
     
     
       5. The liquid droplet discharge apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein when the first region is classified into a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group, the second region is classified into a third nozzle group and a fourth nozzle group, and the third region is classified into a fifth nozzle group and a sixth nozzle group, nozzles are provided in the head in order of the first nozzle group, the second nozzle group, the fifth nozzle group, the sixth nozzle group, the third nozzle group, and the fourth nozzle group, and 
 a total of average nozzle usage rates of the second nozzle group and the third nozzle group is equal to a total of average nozzle usage rates of the first nozzle group and the sixth nozzle group. 
 
     
     
       6. A mask pattern specifying for each nozzle whether a discharge instruction is made valid or invalid to a liquid droplet discharge apparatus which comprises:
 a head having a nozzle row in which nozzles capable of discharging liquid droplets onto a medium are aligned; and 
 a movement portion which moves the head relatively to the medium, 
 wherein the liquid droplet discharge apparatus discharges the liquid droplets onto the medium through the nozzles by causing the head to perform main scanning a plurality of number of times by the movement portion, 
 a region from a nozzle at one end to a first nozzle located at a position away from the nozzle at the one end by a first predetermined distance is set to a first region, a region from a nozzle at the other end at an opposite side to the one end to a second nozzle located at a position away from the nozzle at the other end by a second predetermined distance is set to a second region, and a region between the first region and the second region is set to a third region on the nozzle row, 
 the mask pattern specifies for each nozzle whether the discharge instruction is made valid or invalid such that a thinned-out portion is present on each of raster lines which are formed by nozzles in the third region, 
 a first average nozzle usage rate of the nozzles is greater than a second average nozzle usage rate of the nozzles, 
 the first average nozzle usage rate is an average nozzle usage rate of a first mode to form a raster of a number of a first path, and 
 the second nozzle usage rate is an average nozzle usage rate of a second mode to form a raster in an number of a second path that is greater than the number of the first path. 
 
     
     
       7. A liquid droplet discharge method comprising:
 discharging liquid droplets by a head having a nozzle row in which nozzles capable of discharging the liquid droplets onto a medium are aligned, and 
 moving the head relatively to the medium, 
 wherein the discharging the liquid droplets onto the medium through the nozzles occurs by causing the head to perform main scanning a plurality of number of times in the moving of the head relatively to the medium,
 a region from a nozzle at one end to a first nozzle located at a position away from the nozzle at the one end by a first predetermined distance is set to a first region, a region from a nozzle at the other end at an opposite side to the one end to a second nozzle located at a position away from the nozzle at the other end by a second predetermined distance is set to a second region, and a region between the first region and the second region is set to a third region on the nozzle row, the liquid droplets are discharged such that a thinned-out portion is present on each of raster lines which are formed by nozzles in the third region, 
 
 a first average nozzle usage rate of the nozzles is greater than a second average nozzle usage rate of the nozzles, 
 the first average nozzle usage rate is an average nozzle usage rate of a first mode to form a raster of a number of a first path, and 
 
       the second nozzle usage rate is an average nozzle usage rate of a second mode to form a raster in an number of a second path that is greater than the number of the first path.